Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-08-12

CHATTER 1X.-AN INTIMATE ACQUAINTANCE
WITH a MULE.
Our mules carried us we'll but awkward
ly, their gait b9ng made unpleasant by a
peculiar hitch in it., which twitches the
rider about most uncomfortahly. How we
lamcnted the loss TO us Of our horses the
best in the word-as ! can myself testify,
having bestrode many others, as in the
West Indies and Florida. Regretfully
recalled the good qualities of my black
mare, who was so careful and sure footed
on the sleeps and 50 eager for gallop on
level ground. | well remember oven now
the entreating look in her large, soft and
and brilliant eye, us she would turn around
to me bcsecchngly, whenever we reached
a smooth bit Of road, and how joyousy she
shot forward at the faintest pressure Of
leg or arm, and slightest shake of hridlc-
rein, cleaving the air like mad creature,
yet obedient to my every motion. The
voice Of my cautious guide (who was ex-
tremely jealous of cdbdHdo) yet rings in
my ears "Anddic! AHdrie! pero POGO, 4
POGO, Don Federico !" "Go it, Don FEEDER
leo but gently, my son, gently'D My old
guide is dead, as, perhaps, is his gentle
steed and my sole memcnto of them is
the bride, which begged Of him at part
ing.
But TO return to our mules, from whom
| should not have galloped away In the
afternoon they were bearing us through a
grand oak forest, some :, 900 feet above the
sea, where the sub vegetation was the wild
DdgucM and hundred strange plants We
could not name The third group Of huts
we saw in this days journey was a wretch
ed place called Cauzimoloya, which we
reached at dark, at such an altitude above
the sea-probahly 10000 feet-that no
plants were cultivated here except the po-
tato and mdgueN The inhabitants wer,
surly, and only with reluctance gave us
permission to shelter ourselves beneath the
roof of the principal hut, where there wa,
not even room TO swing our hammocks, and
we slept ON the table and floor. 4 wild,
fire place yawned in the centre of tn,
room, and into this We constantly threw
pine knots and watched them flame and
smoke nearly the whole night through. We
clamhercd into our saddles in the morning
SO happy in getting away from Cauzimo
loya that stiffness and fatigue were lightly
thought Of, and rode for half day through
noble forest Of pines, with sheltered
glades at intervals ever descending to
wards the east and south After the sun
had reached its meridian, we obtained oc.
casiunal glimpses Of the country beyond
the great department of lilla Alta, oc
cupied almost exclusively 10y Indians, and
where, we were assured, no American had
ever before travelled. Hills and vast slopes
cut athwart 10y barrancas, stretched
away toward the Gulf for many league
n fair and beautiful country, with Indian
hanlets profusely scattered over it. As We
emerged from the forest skirts we rode in
to cultivated grounds, passing, that after
noon, the villages of San Miguel, San Pc
dro, san Francisco and Cohonos We had
overtaken in the forest, the previous after
noon, party Of Mestizos who had with
them "A little girl borne in sHid, or chair
strapped 10 the back of stout Indian
The moans of the little one and her pallit
countenance had inspired us with sympa
thy which We expressed in few words oi
cheer, rs we rode by.
To our surprise, as we reached the deep
est part of the first valley-where ",
crossed "A rapidly flowing stream, over Al
arChed bridge of stone scarcely two feet it
width-we found the party at home in
little hacienda, where they entreated us t,
tarry while and gave us our saddle bag,
lull pf uttI l.ltttntta lrunttrhf. "a,
| native wines
Climbing the opposite hills, in the deep
ening shadows of the coming night, through
narrow lanes hedged in part of the way
| by garden plants, we halted for the nigh
in the quaiutest Of Indian towns We haC
yet seen-Xoochila Tahaa The cabildo, ol
kings house. was thrown open to us, tn,
alcaldc purchased for us some chickens anC
wine and while we devoured our supper
| by the light Of OcOte torches, some of tn,
simple people gathered around played swee
melodies on their aboriginal harps, or jar
dndS. We stretched our hammocks in tn,
| guest chamber Of the cablldo, which lie
| just back of the great stone church, an,
| slept soundly the night through. We wer,
astir early the next morning, for the grea
| red sun shone straight against the eastern
walls of this adobe hamlet, calling out tn
alcalde, who brought us coffee and tortillas
and set us on our way with "A hearty buei
| ridje Most of the Indians were ALREADY
astir ; the women, naked from the wais
up, were crushing corn at the metItes, tn
men collecting their sheep and goats fo
their day afield. 1t was a primitive peop
we found here, living out a paradisiacal ex
istence, whose quiet was rarely disturbed
| by strangers-as we We're little later re
minded.
In the elasticity of my spirits, that coo
morning had vaulted into the saddle, an,
was urging my mule up the steep acclivity
| through narrow paths meandering amonl
| gardens, cane-fenced, and among hedge
rows of cochineal cactus. | had outstrip
ped my companions, and was alone-sav
! ing the presence of my mule-and fell T.
musing upon the blissful state of thing
here, where even man partook of the st
renity Of nature, and was gentle and court
eous as in those far away days preceding
the advent Of the Spaniard. Musing thus
dropped the bridle-rein upon the pommel
and my beast logged sleepily onward, witt
footballs scarcely audible. Suddenly h.
stopped | instinctively prodded him wit
the spur and he moved on again but as
looked about me for what had halted him
|, too, was startled. The trail had left be
hind the huts and gardens and entered
ravne, where it hugged a steep, ern-hun
bank, over which dropped in n leap of
dozen feet, "A sparkling thread Of n stream
And beneath this rivulet, falling musicale
into little pool few feet above the trail
stood what appeared to be a statue of glis
tening golden bronze, half yeiled in the sil
yer spray-a bronze sculpture of femal
1
To perfection in its proportions than an
had ever in my life beheld. The ecurve O
beauty was faultess the hair, gathered a
the back Of the head in a Grecian knot
let fall Il stray lock ON to the shoulder
which was round and polished SHAPED
arms fell at the side but the hands wer
casped in front, while the lower limbs wer
of such perfect symmetry as only the con
slant exercise Of climbing those rugge
hills could have developed. wondere
where the artist had got his model if fror
some maid of the village below and re
solved to make search for this unknown
sculptor. Perhaps 4. or b. could tell me
50 | shouted to them to hurry along. Tn
figure was back toward me, with the hea
half turned aside and dropping but, as IN
voice resounded through the glen, IL more
and | then saw what had mistaken 70
a work of aboriginal art, was only an In
dian girl of the Sierras taking her morning
bath. "BuenOS didS, SeHoTtd " | ejacu
lated putting spurs to my mule and "Bu
end did SeHorm said the maiden, who Iii
not even turn her head TO see what manne
of man was this stranger who had so rude
ly interrupted her sport. As neither q
my companions, following not far benin
saw the girl, she must have darted into tn
shrubbery as soon as | was out of sight
Indian beauty and beauties were the topi
of conversation when they joined me, an
the chief who was perfect encyclopmdi